Accountability

 Trump's disruption of USAID is leading directly to the imminent death of thousands through starvation and disease.  What could be a more clear example of crimes against humanity?

Rethinking Border Policies

 The policies of both major U.S. parties regarding borders and immigration a based on a morass of falsehoods and misinformation.  The approaches of Biden and Trump are fundamentally the same; neither enhances prosperity or safety of citizens or immigrants. The only hope for a genuinely rational approach to border issues is to set aside what exists and to start from scratch with actual facts and rationality.  A summary of John Washington's book in The Nation provides a beginning for that process:

11 Arguments for Open Borders

Understanding Trump

A quick Google Search lays out the essentials:

A psychopath is someone who has an antisocial personality and a lack of empathy and remorse. They may also be manipulative, deceitful, and impulsive.
 

Symptoms

    Lack of empathy: Psychopaths don't experience the same emotions as others, and may not be moved by things that affect others.

Manipulation: Psychopaths can be manipulative and exploitative, and may use violence, theft, or fraud to get what they want.
Deceit: Psychopaths may be deceitful and rationalize their behavior.
Impulsivity: Psychopaths may act impulsively and riskily.
Lack of remorse: Psychopaths may not care how their actions affect others, and may not feel guilt for causing pain.

Other traits Having a big ego, Limited emotional responses, Recklessness, Callousness, and Detachment.
 

Relationship to antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)

    Psychopathy is not an official mental health diagnosis.
    Some traits of psychopathy overlap with symptoms of ASPD.  ASPD is characterized by a disregard for the rights, feelings, and safety of others.

Basically, Trump is a common bully who seeks power through instilling fear and anxiety. Simply not responding directly to his threats is probably a good idea.

That is not to say that his presence is not without dangers given the scale of his space for influence.  While Trump is individually a clown without the capacity to formulate any coherent plans, people around him are not so impaired.  By wrecking the structure of government Trump has given free reign to billionaires and right-wing ideologues who have ever greater sway over how and for whom the country is run,

Immigrant Rights in Albuquerque

 Hello Albuquerque,

Many community members have shared their fears and concerns about the White House’s recent orders on immigration. We want to remind our community that Albuquerque is, and will continue to be, an immigrant friendly city that appreciates and celebrates our immigrant community. City law says that city employees, including police, are not allowed to ask about or document immigration status. Trump's policies are still deeply concerning. We believe everyone in our city should be able to report crimes and take their kids to school, church, or the hospital without fear of having their family torn apart.

To help provide information and resources, the City of Albuquerque is hosting a series of webinars to support community members and business owners as they navigate immigration threats. 

If you or someone you know is facing difficulties or has questions about your rights, our Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs (OIRA) has resources available online at cabq.gov/OIRA, where you can find information, guides, and connect with local organizations who can help.

During these times, let’s keep looking out for each other and caring for one another in the One Albuquerque spirit. I hope to see you soon. 

Sincerely, 

Mayor Tim Keller

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See the full message:

Immigration Webinar Schedule

 

The Elephant in the Room

... and the probability of detection.

Trump's justification for imposing tariffs on Canada is to force reduction of cross-border ingress of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants.  The contribution  of Canada to both of those unauthorized imports is 1%.  So, even if Trump's initiative in regard to Canada was 100% effective, the impact would affect 1% of the purported problem.  In exchange for the unlikely achievement of that outcome both countries will probably see catastrophic inflation and job losses.  But that is not the elephant.

The real elephant (driver) in the case of fentanyl, of course, is demand.  The real questions worth exploring are why the demand for illicit drugs is so high in the U.S. and what would be required to effectively reduce that demand.  Better support for behavioral health services seems a much more plausible way to attack the substance abuse issue.  What do you suppose  the chances are that such a policy will be supported by Trump and RFK Jr. ?

See:

What is motivating Trump’s reckless trade war?
Robert Reich

Deb Haaland

The fighter we need now.

On January 28, 2025, Haaland announced that she would run for governor of New Mexico in the 2026 election, seeking to succeed term-limited governor Michelle Lujan Grisham.

See  her amazing story at Wikipedia

Immigration Reform for Dummies

 I don't know if there is that title in the works, but it seems like there is a large potential market.

Some possible chapter headings:

• Immigrants - documented and undocumented  - have significantly lower rates of criminal offenses than U.S. citizens.
• Most illegal drugs are brought into the country by citizens through normal ports of entry.
• Undocumented immigrants make up a large percentage of agricultural workers who are vital to the U. S. economy.
• People seeking asylum are driven by life-threatening circumstances which supercede any other threats including the possibility of rejection or expulsion at the border.
• Intolerable living conditions in Central and South America are attributable in a large part to centuries of U.S. foreign policy which has undermined democracy and favored corporate monoculture and mining interests.
• The billions proposed to deport immigrants would be better spent on supporting economic development in the immigrants' countries of origin.

 * * *

Trump’s neofascism is here now. Here are 10 things you can do to resist
- Robert Reich

Wikipedia

 A message from The String Queens -

YouTube

A Long Way to Go Yet

 Israel Embarks on an ‘Extensive’ Military Operation in the West Bank

The operation came after President Trump rescinded sanctions on Israeli settlers and after extremists raided Palestinian villages to protest the cease-fire. (NY Times)


Israeli forces shoot doctors in Jenin raid as 72 bodies found in Gaza

Three wounded in reported Tel Aviv stabbing attack
list 2 of 10
Published 23 minutes ago23m ago
‘The Israeli public is behind the settlers’
list 3 of 10
Published 38 minutes ago38m ago
UN human rights official says ‘massive restrictions’ on Palestinian freedom of movement
list 4 of 10
Published 53 minutes ago53m ago
Fast facts: Who are Israeli settlers?
list 5 of 10
Published 1 hours ago1h ago
Stefanik says Israel has a ‘biblical right’ to occupied West Bank
list 6 of 10
Published 1 hours ago1h ago
UN chief calls for ‘maximum restraint’ amid Israeli West Bank raids
(Aljazeera)

 

Acorn Mystery

 When I did an image search of just these large seed pods I got results which showed a variety of possibilities for identification including sycamores and oaks.  A search using an image of the contained component yielded no better results.

I went back to the park to take a better look and saw that a number of the pods had opened to reveal what appears to be a cap on an acorn.

Another image search seemed to narrow the choice to some kind of oak, possibly a Bur Oak.  I believe there are around five hundred types of oaks, so I'll await the judgment of someone with real expertise on the subject.

 ------------------------------------

( I am told by a trusted source that the correct answer is "Bur Oak".)

Osteo Mystery

 I found this pretty little bleached bone while walking the dog and slipped it in a coat pocket.

By the time I got home, the bone had broken in half.

I'm assuming because of the hollowness that the bone originally belonged to a bird.  A quick look at the Wikipedia bird anatomy articles suggests the bone is part of the wing, the Humerus, as shown in this diagrammatic representation.

The birds we see at our feeders are mostly sparrows, finches and a few pigeons, and doves. And, lately, some suet has attracted the attention of a Curve-billed Thrasher.

The size of the bone looks about right for a pigeon.

Tipping Points

 I have spent some time recently looking through the book-length catalog of the Deco Japan exhibit which came to Albuquerque in 2012.  When I wrote about it then it seemed the best Art exhibit I had ever encountered.  It still seems so in the thoroughness in which it captured and expressed a whole cultural era.

There was a great variety of art objects in the show, all of it characterized by extraordinary craftsmanship.  What stood out for me, though, was a message that was not explicitly stated.  In the midst of enormous artistic and cultural achievement there was an undercurrent of militaristic nationalism which would cause the country and the world to veer onto a catastrophic path.  Japan's cultural influence in the 1930s and '40s could have carried the nation forward with little added effort, but the country's leadership at that moment chose territorial expansion as its strategic course.

It seems to me that we are facing a dilemma similar to that of Deco Era Japan now, and not just in the U.S.  There are many differences in the details, of course, but the consequences of the wrong decisions have exponentially expanded *.

* At Searchlight New Mexico

Fish

 When we have out of town visitors we nearly always take them to the Aquarium. It is an exceedingly nice aquarium and the fact that such an oceanic environment exists here is certainly extraordinary.

Our visit on this occasion was especially enjoyable for us as we were accompanied by two divers who had swum with the fish in their natural tropical environments.  Not only did we hear about their underwater encounters, we also got to see snippets of videos and still shots depicting the same creatures we were seeing in front of us.

Our visit was not planned ahead, but the timing turned out extremely well.  It is always a thrill to see the maintenance people going about their tasks in their wet suits.

We arrived at the aquarium about 11:00 AM, which turned out to be the time the three river otters are provided with some food and training by two handlers.  We might have watched the otters briefly and moved on to the fsh exhibits, but a very well informed staff person on the viewing platform told us to stick around to catch the daily exercise.

The very active large male was lured inside to be out of the way while the two trainers put their charges through the daily routine.  One of the females just was not interested enough in the fish snacks to leave her sunny perch.  The other, however, quickly responded to all the prompts appropriately to get the expected rewards.

America's Disgrace

 From The Guardian:

Social order in Gaza will collapse if Israel ends cooperation with UN aid

and Biden's final contribution is billions for more bombs.